Technical Note: DoseMapper: A validated GUI-based exact numerical modeling method of shielding in PET/CT facilities

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Radiation Shielding Design
• Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Facilities

Background:

• Designing effective radiation shielding for PET facilities is crucial for safety.
• Current methods can be time-consuming and less intuitive.
• Adherence to established guidelines, such as the AAPM 108 Taskforce, is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a faster and more intuitive software for designing radiation shielding in PET facilities.
• To implement the principles of the AAPM 108 Taskforce guidelines.
• To visualize calculation outputs using easily interpretable dose maps.

Main Methods:

• Development of a graphical user interface (GUI) named DoseMapper.
• Implementation of an inverse AAPM method with manual definition of radiation sources and shield barriers.
• Verification of simulations against manual AAPM calculations and in situ dose rate measurements.

Main Results:

• DoseMapper simulations demonstrated high accuracy, with results virtually identical to manual AAPM calculations (max relative error <0.01%).
• Simulated dose rates consistently exceeded in situ measurements, ensuring no hotspots are missed.
• The software provides easily evaluated dose maps for clear design documentation.

Conclusions:

• DoseMapper offers an user-friendly implementation of AAPM 108 Taskforce principles for PET facility shielding.
• It enables a rapid and iterative design process.
• The generated dose rate and accumulated dose maps serve as clear design documentation.